Bishop Fernandes on Independence Day: 'Rise up India'

A reflection by the auxiliary bishop of Mumbai on the day the country celebrates 76 years of new-found freedom after colonial rule. An anniversary heavily marked this year by the echo of the violence in Manipur. "Under the pretext of defending national interests, ancient long-buried conflicts are being resurrected. May God dwell again in our land so that there may be love and peace again."

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - India celebrates Independence Day every year on August 15, in memory of the entry into force of the Indian Independence Act in 1947 which ended British colonial rule. The anniversary has always been an opportunity to reflect on India's identity and this year is deeply marked by the serious violence that has been devastating the north-eastern state of Manipur for more than three months. We propose below a reflection proposed for the occasion by Msgr. Dominic Savio Fernandes, auxiliary bishop of Mumbai.

The recent gut-wrenching scenes of violence in Manipur and the height of depravity exhibited by human beings on their fellow human beings has shaken the collective conscience of most Indians.  I say this on the basis of the pained and shocked reactions and responses of people from all walks of life, transcending cultures, religions and continents. The senseless violence, especially those directed against women in many States of India, particularly in Manipur, has exposed the dark underbelly of India and transported it to barbaric times.

India has always been a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious society, where, in the past, people loved their neighbours and lived in peaceful harmony, irrespective of their differences.  The India of old was noted for its non-violent ways, its tolerance, its unity in diversity, and for its living together in peaceful harmony with one another. 

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, had put India on the world map as a great country where people from all walks of life lived in fraternal harmony, and experienced peace and tranquillity.  Of course, there were some aberrations, but people were, generally speaking, loving and law-abiding.

It is, however, unfortunate that in the present India/Bharat, we are beginning to see a great divide on religious and communal lines.  There is so much hatred and venom that is being spread, vitiating the harmony that once existed in our great nation.  Under the guise of defending national interests, ancient conflicts that were long buried are being raked up anew, thereby creating doubts and confusion in the minds of people and dividing and polarizing society.

We have been hearing, seeing, and reading in the media about horrific crimes that are being unleashed on fellow-citizens by fellow-citizens.  This has been seconded and reaffirmed by various fact-finding teams that have visited Manipur in the recent past, including a parliamentary group, comprising of a few Members of Parliament.  It is like brother against brother and sister against sister.  Love is being replaced by hatred; law-abiding people are now emboldened to take the law in their hands; animals are given preference over human being; the degradation of women has hit a new low; human beings - women and men - are beaten up mercilessly and lynched for the religion they practice; financial development is preferred over human development; Fake News has replaced Truth!

Our great country India, the land of the Mahatma, cannot be allowed to go the way it is going.  It is the duty of every peace-loving, law-abiding and loving Indian to rise above our differences and to work towards re-instilling love, tolerance and sensitivity in the heart of every Indian, beginning with ourselves.  Let us uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution.

There is no point in building temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras, etc., if there is no love in our heart, for God dwells in our hearts - where there is LOVE there is GOD.  Let God dwell in our land once again.  Let there be Love and Peace in India once again.

So, RISE INDIA and thy billions lead and follow the path of Love, so as to be a light to all the nations of the world.  Let us follow the Gandhian path of love, non-violence, equality, respect for all human beings, self-sacrifice, justice, peace and fraternity.  Let us be law-abiding citizens of this country and reject hatred and replace it with love; substitute vengeance with forgiveness and self-centeredness with other-centeredness.

* auxiliary bishop of Mumbai
(Nirmala Carvalho collaborated)